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A New York jury found Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation liable in a landmark sexual discrimination lawsuit on Monday. On Wednesday, the jury awarded punitive damages of $250 million. The pharmaceutical company was sued by 5,600 women who accused Novartis of discriminating against women on the basis of pregnancy, as well as paying women less than similarly experienced men. The attorney for the plaintiffs, David Sanford, successfully persuaded the jury that Novartis actively discouraged women from getting pregnant, passed over qualified women for promotion, discriminated with regard to pay and ignored sexual harassment complaints....

Scammers are once again using consumers’ fear of possible criminal prosecution to scam them out of money. One of the latest versions of this scam is being called the “gas station scam.” According to Denver’s KUSA-TV, it starts with a phone call from someone claiming to be the manager of “your” gas station, who goes on to tell you that on your last visit to the station, your credit card was declined for insufficient funds....

Google, as you may have noticed, is running to market with its representative in the phone wars, the Nexus One. However, they may hit a small bump in the road on their way to domination of the tech universe: the estate of cult sci-fi author, Philip K. Dick. Dick is perhaps best known for his story, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, which was the basis for the hit movie, Blade Runner....

Drinkers of craft beer, take note: Sierra Nevada has issued a recall for the Midwest, East Coast, and the South on many of their popular 12-oz bottled beers. Fortunately, the recall is focused on a rather short production window, and the bottles and packaging are made in such a way that spotting a recalled Sierra Nevada is rather simple. So far, there have been no reported injuries. Basically, there is a defect in the way one of their bottling plants was bottling their beverages....

Fire departments have found themselves the target of several high profile race discrimination lawsuits based on their employment exams. And courts have been all over the map with their rulings. Most recently, the 2nd U.S. District Court of Appeals upheld the City of Buffalo’s employment exam finding that while there was a disparate impact against black firefighters, the test was not discriminatory. A group representing black firefighters had sued claiming that the test was discriminatory as only 43 percent of black firefighters passed the exam, as compared to 76 percent of their white counterparts, reports Reuters....

A DUI arrest doesn’t always have to end in a jail sentence. Even repeat offenders can get DUI probation instead of jail time. Probation is by no means a slap on the wrist. But for many who are pulled over for driving while intoxicated, it may mean a less humiliating way to serve their sentences. Judge Can Impose Probation Although most DUI charges, which vary by state, can carry minimum jail sentences of at least one day for even a first-time DUI offense, a judge can choose to suspend your sentence in favor of probation....

Death rates from accidental injuries to children dropped nearly 30% overall from 2000 to 2009, a new federal report shows. But two types of accidental injury deaths saw significant increases. “The decrease in injury death rates in the past decade has resulted in more than 11,000 children’s lives being saved,” the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement, according to UPI. “But we can do more....

Until today, the first one might not have been free, but it might have tasted like a popsicle. But now, the FDA says no more. As discussed in FindLaw’s Law & Daily Life, an FDA ban on flavored cigarettes is in full effect. As tobacco products come in seemingly endless forms and flavors, here is some key info about what products are covered. Are menthol cigarettes banned? No. The ban specifically allows menthol in cigarettes....

Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the maker of Guitar Hero. Why? Because they put Slash in the game. So then shouldn’t Slash be the one suing? That’s how it usually works. Nevertheless, Rose filed suit against Activision, claiming that they violated the terms of the deal where Guns N’ Roses licensed the song “Welcome to the Jungle.” According to Rose, Activision broke its promise not to include ex-guitarist Saul Hudson, better known as Slash....

Police in Hammond, Indiana, are the subject of federal lawsuit alleging officers broke a window, used a Taser on a passenger, and terrifed a car full of civilians, including two young children. On September 24, Lisa Mahone and her boyfriend Jamal Jones were on their way to visit Mahone’s mother in the hospital when Hammond police officers pulled them over for a “routine seat belt violation,” according to the Chicago Tribune....

A federal court judge has dismissed a lawsuit on behalf of rap group Insane Clown Posse and their fans challenging an FBI report that the group’s legions of face-painting fans – known as Juggalos – amounted to a criminal gang. The lawsuit, filed by the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), claimed that Juggalos have been targeted by law enforcement since a 2011 FBI report characterized them as a “loosely organized hybrid gang,” according to The Associated Press....

Thousands of people across the U.S. are entitled to a piece of about $1.3 billion in tax refunds from 2005, but since those taxpayers have yet to file their taxes from that year, the windfalls remain uncollected, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced this week. And anyone entitled to a refund had better act fast, because 2005 returns must be filed (and refunds claimed) by this year’s April 15 filing deadline, or the money will be lost....

Mountain climber Anthony Joseph Ortolani’s dog Missy is finally safe, after Ortolani admittedly abandoned the German Shepherd on one of Colorado’s highest peaks. Missy’s abandonment has led to an animal cruelty charge against Ortolani, 29, after a group of high-altitude climbers successfully rescued the canine, The Denver Post reports. In addition, a dog custody battle may be brewing in the wake of bad publicity over Missy’s rescue. For his part, Ortolani insists he did nothing wrong....

Nate Dogg’s estate is at the center of a child support battle. Two of the late rapper-singer’s baby mamas, Rhoda Mouton and Omena Norris, are involved in a posthumous child support lawsuit. Mouton, the mother of Nate Dogg’s teenage son, is currently attempting to deny Norris’ request for more child support payments. (Norris gave birth to Nate Dogg’s child in 2006.) Mouton claims that Norris has no valid reason for requesting that her support be increased by $200 a month....

Rollover ratings for model year 2007 vehicles have been released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Rollover ratings for sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) are improving, according to the Washington Post, which reports that “more than half of the 2007 SUVs had four-star ratings, compared to 48 of the 2006 SUVs that earned four stars out of 103 SUVs rated.” The NHTSA advises the public that “a rollover crash can happen in any type of vehicle....

A pastor in pajamas helped foil a burglary attempt on Christmas morning, just as he was opening presents with his wife and kids. The grinches who would have stolen Christmas targeted the home of a children’s pastor at a church in Colorado Springs. When neighbors saw the suspicious activity, they called another youth pastor, Jim Stevens, who lived behind the church. Dressed only in his pajamas, the pastor stumbled upon the active burglary attempt, reports KRDO-TV....

Police officers from Battle Creek, Michigan were recently cleared of wrongdoing for killing two dogs that barked at officers during the execution of a search warrant. The owners of the two dogs were living with a known drug dealer who had recently been released from prison and was suspected to be selling drugs. What Happened? Warning: The details of this case, described below, may be rather upsetting for dog and animal lovers....

You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. There is low and then there is LOW. Stirling Anderson of Oregon is allegedly in the latter category and will be receiving a Costco-size box of coal in his stocking this year. Anderson, owner of a security firm, allegedly tried to pull off a church theft. Not only did he steal from the church, but he stole gifts intended for the poor, said Sgt. David Thompson of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, The Oregonian reports....

Our national parks are among our greatest treasures. Yet, too many people recklessly, arrogantly, and maliciously deface the federal property. If you ever consider signing your name or drawing a little doodle on the wall of the Grand Canyon, just know that it’s a federal crime. Last year, graffiti artist Casey Nocket, going by the Instagram handle Creepytings, defaced the natural beauty of 10 national parks with her paintings. Nocket had the bright idea of painting her art at national parks, and then boasting about her works on Instagram and Facebook....

Stalking is very scary for the person being stalked, but it’s not always easy to know what to do to make it stop. The term stalking is somewhat overused, especially when it refers to “Facebook stalking,” which generally involves behavior that’s not illegal. Under most states’ laws, stalking is defined as a pattern of harassing or threating someone. Once you know that what’s happening to you is legally considered stalking – i....